Identity

ポストした日：８日３月２０１４年２０時っぽい

    Is there a difference between "national identity" and "cultural identity"? 

    A book on Language and Citizenship in Japan (source of inspiration).

    From my perspective and experience this is not a new question but in fact something that all Puerto Ricans think about and already know the answer. Of course they are different! I wouldn't wait one second to say that. Yes, I have an american passport and I have many legal advantages when living in US, but this doesn't make my national identity as "American". In fact I am far from it.

    

    Just as Japanese-Brazilians have more ease in the immigration process and visa application and may look more Japanese than other immigrants, their inner nature is much more different than that of a person whose cultural identity is Japanese.

    Whenever this topic of US and PR (Puerto Rico) come up with my friends, I don't really like to talk to much about it. My blood starts to boil, and I need to cool down. I would like to help them understand my situation but how can it be understood with just 1 short conversation? There are so many areas to this US-Puerto Rico political relationship. (Because let's face it, it's political and not much more. Ok business too.) 

    For example, when I live in the US I can vote for the president but when I am living in Puerto Rico I can't vote (Part of this reason is because US politics and the domestic decisions they make, do not affect Puerto Rico. So really there is no need to vote for a President.) 

    When I am abroad I have to write on papers that I am of American nationality because it is rare for institutions/etc to even include the option of Puerto Rican nationality.

    I like that in US people are more open about religion, homosexuality, and have a lot of imported foods/products/etc (compared to Puerto Rico), but I also don't like how they were using land space to practice bombings that resulted in people getting sick, or how they tested birth control pills on Puerto Rican women which lead to many deaths of those participants. (That's one of many reasons why I don't like this pill and don't want to take it. Because I keep thinking of all the women that died in order for me to take this pill just because I don't want to use a condom. There are other reasons too.)

    So it's difficult to explain to another person and also have to control my feelings. How do you do that?

    In this sense, I have no problem changing my "nationality". I just see it as a political paper that dictates where I can vote, and where I can have working benefits, and which countries I can travel to with ease.

    (One of the reasons why we even have this "nationality" concept is so that we as citizens don't have the power to vote in multiple countries and sway the political sphere.)

    If in the future I need to decide to change my nationality to like a Japanese one, I see no problem in that. I will still be me. A paper is just a paper. The me holding that paper is just me holding a paper and saying something like "wuuuuuuu. I can work more now!! :DD". Jajajaja